How to Use Yoruba in a Sentence
Yoruba
noun-
Polyrhythmic drums keep the connection to the earth while their lyrics rise up in praise of the orishas, the deities of the Yoruba pantheon.
—Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024
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The Yoruba believe twins share a soul; if one twin dies, the other is in deadly peril.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024
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The two other candidate names for the newborn were Lola, which is Yoruba for greatness, and Mkali, Swahili for fierce, the zoo said.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 11 June 2023
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Veronica is of Igbo heritage, while Charles is from the Yoruba people.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024
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It’s found in 88 percent of European Finns, but only 5 percent of African Yoruba.
—Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, 3 June 2019
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In their place, buildings are already rising for the new development, named Alafia, which its builders say is a Yoruba word that means peace, health and well-being.
—Jane Margolies, New York Times, 28 July 2023
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The actor and will also serve as a producer on the series through his Yoruba Saxon Productions.
—Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 7 June 2023
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Alára means ‘wondrous performer, one who trills endlessly’ in Yoruba.
—Helen Jennings, Vogue, 21 June 2023
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How did Dosunmu draw so close to the ceremonial participants on the beach in Aja, the Yoruba people who wear white robes and extend their arms toward the rush of the ocean?
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2023
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Boyega, who was born to British Nigerian parents, accessorized the red carpet look with a traditional Yoruba woven cap called a Fila and black dress shoes.
—Marisa Sullivan, Peoplemag, 15 June 2023
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Its ownership had passed down from Afro-Brazilians to auctioneers to a Yoruba owner who turned it into a bar, and down to the colonial government, which declared it a monument and used it as a post office.
—Yinka Elujoba, New York Times, 9 June 2023
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Teni’s music is often optimistic, if not in its lively production, then in her lyrics about the trials and triumphs of love and life, sung in Nigerian pidgin, Yoruba, and its Ondo dialect.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023
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The play’s cast of characters, who also serve as narrators and commentators, are drawn from the pantheon of Greek mythology and the deities of Yoruba spirituality.
—Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
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So their collaboration on this sweetly catchy single is a welcome joining of forces, as the two go back and forth in both English and Yoruba opining about a girl changing their minds about love and affection, with production that absolutely pops.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 1 Dec. 2023
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The dancing, drumming, elaborate costumes and effigies of the colonial masquerade bands originated in religious festivals of the Igbo and Yoruba tribes of Nigeria.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 18 Dec. 2023
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David and Jessica Oyelowo executive produce under their Yoruba Saxon banner.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 6 June 2023
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So everything is pretty much Christianity, the symbolism in Christianity that symbolizes Satan or the devil is actually strength and knowledge in the Yoruba religion.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 2 Sep. 2023
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The installation of Abass’s large family journal detailing personal philosophy, customs and traditions — some in Yoruba — looks less out of place because of Abass’s non-obtrusive and aged letterpress cases.
—Yinka Elujoba, New York Times, 9 June 2023
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Practitioners of Santeria trace historical ties to the Yoruba traditional religion, whose people have been reported to perform a chanting ritual during a solar eclipse.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
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Dosunmu’s own style icons are his relatives who reflect an intersection of influences: traditional, religious, Western, Yoruba.
—Rebecca Bengal, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2023
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Oyelowo executive producers under his Yoruba Saxon banner.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
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Oyelowo executive producers under his Yoruba Saxon banner.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Yoruba.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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